MACON, Ga. – Lipscomb senior Whitney Kiihnl has been named the Atlantic Sun Pitcher of the Week for the week of Feb. 26, the conference office announced Monday.

The award is the first weekly honor for Kiihnl or any Lipscomb player during the 2012 season. It’s the 10th weekly honor of Kiihnl’s career, the last of which came April 25, 2011.

“Whitney really got into a groove this weekend,” said Lipscomb head coach Kristin Ryman. “She’s worked hard on staying mentally tough during big spots in the game and she took a big step forward this weekend.”

Kiihnl was stellar on the mound at last weekend’s College of Charleston Classic, picking up four victories. She threw a complete-game, four-hit shutout against Virginia Tech to open the Classic, and followed that up with a relief victory against Wagner, where she did not allow an earned run.

She blanked MTSU in Saturday’s contest with a four-hit shutout in five innings, and also scored two runs in Lipscomb’s 8-0 pounding of the Blue Raiders.

In the finale Sunday morning, Kiihnl tossed her best game of the weekend, limiting Louisiana Monroe to three hits and striking out nine for her third shutout in three days.

In all, Kiihnl pitched 25 innings and allowed one run total, an unearned run in her relief appearance against Wagner. She struck out 22 batters and stranded a total of 29 runners in four games.

“She kept us in games this weekend, and that’s what you want from your pitchers,” Ryman said. “We know when she gets the ball she gives a chance to win every game.”

At the plate, Kiihnl hit .429 (3-for-7) and scored two runs to help her cause.

Upstate’s Shellie Robinson took home the conference Player of the Week honor this week.

Kiihnl and the rest of the Lady Bison trek to Florida for this weekend’s Citrus Classic, hosted by ESPN at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando. The Lady Bison are scheduled to face LIU-Brooklyn, South Alabama, Penn State, Ball State and St. John’s.

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